Magnifying attachment for lamp shades



June 16, 1953 J. M. VALENZA 2,641,965

MAGNIFY'ING ATTACHMENT FOR LAMP SHADES Filed Dec. 12, 1949 Inventm Joseph M. Va/enza Patented June 16,1953

ATTACHMENT FOR LAMP SHADES MAGNIFYTNG ()FFICE Joseph M. Valenza, Houston, Tex. Application December 12, 1949, Serial No. 132,423

' This: invention relates to new'and useful' improvements in magnifyingattachments foruse with desk lamps of the type having a light shield, and more particularly pertains to a: novel means for attaching, the same to a lightshield and the means provided connecting the lens holder to ofthe-lens with respecttothe light shield.

The primaryobject: of this, invention is to enable a person to examine an object with the aid of .a. magnifying glass without necessitating the individual holding the magnifying glass when shields, and which will be. of such construction as to be readily formed from plastic material for the. attendant benefits of economyin production, the pleasing appearance of the'same, and lightness in weight.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character, in conformity with the foregoing objects, which will be durable and highly efficient for the purposes in-' tended.

A meritorious feature of the present invention resides in the integral construction and form of the bracket, which permits the same to be atmm. (o1. ss-s9) the light; shield; permitting universal adjustment trated by way of example only in the acomf panying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present invention showingthe same attached to a conventional lamp;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the attachment, being taken upon-the plane of the section line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlargedsectional detail view, being taken upon a substantially horizontal plane as indicated by-section line 3-3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail view'being taken on-the plane of the section line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Reference isnow-made to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout thevarious views, and in which the magnifying glass attachment is indicated generally by the numeral). V

The attachment I0 includes a substantially V-shaped, resilient bracket indicated generally tached to or removed from a light shield readenumerated herein resides in the integral construction of the lens holder and the use of a single fastener for clamping the magnifying glass in the lens holder and engaging the ball and socket joint.

These, together with various ancillary features and objects of the invention which will later become apparent as thefollowing description pro ceeds, are attained by the present invention, a

l preferred embodiment of which has been illusby the numeral 92. Although it-w'ill be understood that the present invention maybe utilized withmany different types of lamps, the same has been illustrated as being used with a conventional lamp known as the Dazor Floating Fluorescent Lamp, which, as is Well known, is provided with a ridged, substantially anticlinal light shield or shade M which has lower marginal edges i6, the lamp being indicated generally by the reference numeral [8. The bracket I2 is .of such a shape as to conform to andbe complementary with the upper convexed surface of the ridged light shield or shade M, as will be readily appreciated upon reference to the drawing, and has one end sharply inturned at an acute angle to form a hook 2!] for securely embracing one of the edges I6. The other end of the bracket I2 is provided .with an inwardly curved hook portion 22, which is arcuately shaped to readily engage the other edge It. Since, in the preferred construction of bracket 12, it is formed of plastic material, it will be appreciated that the same will possess sumcient resiliency to permit the hook 26 to engage the shield M and the bracket 12 slightly bent so that the portion 22 may engage the other edge l6 firmly. To strengthen the bracket 12, in viewof the plastic construction of the same the bracket I2 is provided with a medial rib 24, which [reinforces the same without materially increasing its weight.

Formedintegrally with the bracket 12 is an upstanding and outwardly extending portion 26, which carries at its outermost end an integral projection 28 which terminates in an enlarged ball 30, for a purpose to be presently set forth. A lens holder is provided formed of asingle strip 32 of plastic material, which is bent'to provide a split ring terminating in substantially parallel or opposed end portions 34. The inner periphery of the strip 32 is provided with a groove 36 in which is seated the marginal edges of a magnifying glass or convex lens 49, and the outer periphery of the strip 32 is provided with a medial rib 42 for a purpose analogous to'that of the rib 24 on the bracket I2. faces of the portions 34 are suitably indented, as at 44, to provide seats for the ball 30 between the portions 34. A bolt 45 extends through suitable apertures in the portions 34 between the lens 40 and the ball 30 and which is adjustably tightened by means of a wing nut 48 to urge a portion 34 to frictionally engage the ball 39. will be seen that the fasteners 46 and 48 serve the twofold purpose of adjustably clamping the portion 34 in engagement with the ball 30, and retaining the lens 49 within the strip 32, while permitting replacement of the lens 49 if desired.

Since under some circumstances it will be desired to leave the attachment mounted on the lamp 18 for protracted periods of time or even permanently, the bracket [2 has been provided with an opening 49, whereby a suitable fastener (not shown) may be utilized to secure the bracket 12 to the lamp 18.

The use and the advantages of the present invention will be readily understood. The simplicity of the construction of the device, which permits the same to be constructed of plastic materials, will contribute materially to the low cost at which the attachment can be marketed. The attachment is very neat in appearance, and it is to be noted, upon inspection of Figure 1, that the portion 26 is so proportioned as to blend into The adjacent low the light source (not shown) whereby the light from the lamp may be concentrated at the focal point of the lens 40 if so desired.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the'art after a. consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, but

- all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

An attachment for lamps of the type including a substantially anticlinal shade, comprising a bracket including a substantially V-shaped, resilient clamp engageable transversely on the shade and terminating in inturned, resilient end hooks engageable under the longitudinal'edges of said shade for securing said clamp under tension thereon, anintegral ball projecting longitudinally from one end portion of the clamp, a magnifying lens, and a split ring encircling the 7 lens and including opposed end portions frictionthe dimensions of the magnifying glass holder.

It is to be especially noted that the lens 40 may not only be adjusted relative to the shield I4 as desired by the user for viewing therethrough, but by virtue of the portion 26 extending outwardly from the bracket [2, it will be seen that the attachment is capable of an additional use in that the holder may be swung about to a position beally gripping the ball for 'adjustably mounting the lens on the clamp.

JOSEPH M.'VALENZA.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,513,769 Sullivan Nov. 4, 1924 1,773,899 Kaler Aug. 26, 1930 1,806,422 Shaen May 19, 1931 1,925,393 Lehman Sept. 5, 1933 1,971,519 Bradford Aug. 28, 1934 2,394,231 Burski Feb. 5, 1946 2,481,450 Schwartz Sept. 6, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 247,66 Great Britain Feb. 22, 1926 537,151 Great Britain June 11, 1941 

